Green Challenge

Dear Readers, Roadmaps are being adopted, new technologies are being developed, low-CO₂ raw materials are being sought – with the aim of halting global warming, there is currently a multitude of activities and efforts. To reflect this also in our magazine ZKG Cement Lime Gypsum, you have before you an entire issue bulging with articles on the subject of the “Green Challenge”. Many companies and authors have contributed to this special interest issue – many thanks from the ZKG team for the positive responses and the extensive feedback.

In mid-July, the Green Cement Conference was held in Athens/Greece. The main topic was “Unlocking data driven net zero transition”. In addition, the topics of the cement industry in the circular economy and the challenges facing the cement industry up to 2030 were discussed in detail (p. 24).

A wide range of topics make up the content of this future-oriented issue against the backdrop of the overview contribution “Market trends for green cements” by Dr. Joachim Harder of OneStone Consulting Ltd. Some of the questions addressed in his comprehensive article are: What contribution can green cements provide to reduce CO₂ emissions in the cement industry? What are the latest market trends for green cements and which types of green cement will have a major impact? A major impact is expected from the use of calcined clays. Many other developments are examined in more detail in the article (p. 6).

The broad spectrum includes contributions on topics such as “Decarbonizing lime kilns with alternative fuel” (p. 78), the development and production of a low carbon cement (p. 50), new slag types as a substitution of granulated blast furnace slag (p. 86), the use of AI for concrete mixtures (p. 42), the future of vertical roller mills to reduce CO₂ output by using clinker substitutes (p. 36) or the transformation of cement plants into sustainable production sites (p. 52).

Many other high-quality and interesting articles are waiting for you in this issue – all on the subject of how the cement industry can meet the future challenges, first and foremost CO₂ reduction.

Dr. Petra Strunk
Editor-in-Chief

Anke Bracht M.A.
Deputy Editor-in-Chief